Isn't CoonAss.com an unusual name for a web page? What does it mean? Where does it come from?

With a URL like that, I've received mail from web groups that specialize in sex. I've received information from animal rights groups. I've even received hate mail from people who think it is an ethnic slur against blacks. But none of those groups are correct as to its origin.

People call me that "crazy Cajun" or that "CoonAss". Both the word Cajun and CoonAss are used to refer to people of Acadian descent. Both have been in a derogatory manner. Both have been used in pride.

One version says the term comes from the French word "conasse". During the Second World War, many Cajun men served in the armed forces. When in France, many of the French heard the Cajuns speaking in a French that was both very old and in a French that had some very odd words. The Frenchmen called the Cajuns "conasse" which translates to a very low-grade prostitute. I would think this comes from the fact that, although they spoke a form of French, the Cajuns weren't real Frenchmen.

Of course, the "American" servicemen heard "conasse" as "CoonAss". In a world where "RedNeck" is heard often, "CoonAss" fits right in. Just like RedNeck, it wasn't originally used as a term of endearment. But many Cajuns carry it as a description of themselves as good as any other. In Louisiana, you can find vehicles with bumper stickers reading "Registered CoonAss" or "I'm a CoonAss, Me!" Wide spread use came about during the oil boom in Louisiana during the 60's and 70's.

But there is very little to prove or disprove that version.

I’ve read writings from folklorists and experts in Cajun culture who say that it may be a modified version of racist words used to describe blacks. But they have little if any proof of that as well.

If you’re wondering if you can call a Cajun a CoonAss, I would advise against it. I put my website up on this URL many years ago and I don’t know that I would choose to do it today. But I do have it and I hope I’ve kept it away from folks who don’t really appreciate our culture and our history.

As I grew up, Cajun and CoonAss were synonyms for uneducated and uncouth. Now, the wonders and beauty of the Cajun culture are being experienced world wide. I carry the name CoonAss.com as a reminder of how our culture nearly disappeared and how we as a people have taken the bad traits outsiders associated with being Cajun and have turned them into something good.